This invention relates to the releasing of a fishing hook when it is caught on an underwater obstruction, such as a log or the like.
Heretofore, when a hook has been snagged on an obstruction, it has been necessary for the fisherman to row his boat to the opposite side of the obstruction in order to pull the hook backward to release it. An on-shore fisherman had an especially difficult problem in that he would either have to find a boat or he would have to swim out beyond the obstruction.
As shown in the above-identified patents, various attempts have been made to solve the release problem so that the fisherman could stay in place. Such attempts have utilized a weight which engages the hook to pull it off the obstruction, or the use of the force of the current of a stream to assist in removal.